Outdoor lights of the type including some form of light fixture affixed to the top of a post or other form of a standard extending up from a base portion, all of which are usually pre-wired, are in common use in residential yards, beside drives, walkways and the like as well as in various commercial areas for lighting purposes and to enhance the landscaping. A large portion of such outdoor lighting units are installed before or after the completion of landscaping in housing and other building development projects.
One procedure commonly followed is for a contractor, before final landscaping, to rough in the site by digging trenches for the wiring, to pour concrete bases in which the electrical connection boxes are cemented in, to run in the required wiring, and to mount the outdoor lights. With this approach damage may be done to the lighting unit or the mounting base may be displaced during subsequent landscaping, and an even more serious problem is that after final grading of the soil, the elevation of each of the already installed outdoor lighting units may not be correct.
Because of the above indicated problem, another common approach is to do the complete installation of outdoor lighting after the completion of the landscaping and the final grade is established. This involves additional work in that considerable extra excavation is required in digging the wiring trenches and base areas for locating the base of each lighting unit. Moreover, a significant amount of the landscaping must be redone on completion of the installation of the lights.
Moreover, there is a growing demand for outdoor lighting of a type which would facilitate a simple installation of outdoor lighting by the home owner. In some areas regulations exist with less stringent requirements for certain structural and electrical features in the installing of outdoor lighting. For example, it is possible in such areas to utilize 12V supply in wires which need not be trenched in to the extent of more common outdoor wiring regulations.